GroupM now projects U.S. advertising will expand 6.2% to $244 billion in 2019, a marked increase from the tepid 2.6% expansion it projected for 2019 in its last report published in June.
The world’s largest media investment management group to use Rentrak for media planning and buying in the U.S. The announcement comes on the heels of news that parent WPP would acquire a 16.7% stake in Rentrak by buying $56 million in Rentrak stock and by accepting $98 million worth of Rentrak stock in exchange for the TV measurement unit of Kantar Media. It also follows news last week that another media agency, Zenith Media, would begin using Rentrak ratings
Lee Doyle is vacating the CEO of North America hot seat at MEC. The executive joined the agency 12 years ago and will take on a new and yet-to-be-announced role within Group M. MEC’s Toys ‘R’ Us and Novartis accounts are currently up for bid. Earlier this year it lost Activision without a review and parted ways with Pizza Hut. Now it must hold on to telecom giant AT&T if and when its planned acquisition of T-Mobile is finalized.
SMG will continue to support Comcast Cable and add the NBCUniversal theme parks to its portfolio. Maxus will support NBCUniversal’s domestic properties, while GroupM’s MediaCom will continue to represent the company’s media interests outside the U.S.
Turner, Group M Still Wrangling Over Upfront
Almost a month removed from the first TV upfront deals between media agencies and television networks, two of the bigger players still haven’t come to terms. Media agency giant Group M still has not completed an upfront deal with Turner Broadcasting Groups networks, TNT, TBS, CNN, truTV, as of late in the day, Thursday, June 30.
Marketers in 2011 will boost U.S. ad spending 2.8%, down slightly from 2010’s 3.2% growth rate, according to the average of three major media-agency forecasts. Worldwide ad spending will grow 5.3% in the new year, below the 5.9% growth seen in 2010, according to the average of three forecasts from Interpublic Group of Cos.’ MagnaGlobal, Publicis Groupe’s ZenithOptimedia and WPP’s Group M.
